Jake Bugg has shared rock‘n’roll-infused new single ‘Keep On Moving’ and spoken to NME about his Green Day-inspired sixth album ‘A Modern Day Distraction’.
True to its name, ‘Keep On Moving’ explores the album’s forward-looking mindset in the face of adversity and regret as Bugg sings: “I’ve been on the run for far too long / But there’s no turning back.”
“I think it’s important to be self-critical, to push yourself and to keep pushing on”, he told NME of the meaning behind the song. “But that can be very difficult when people are always trying to drag you down. Some people just can’t bear to see others happy as well.”
Speaking of the sound of the single, Bugg revealed that he’d been listening to Motown and was aiming for something with “that ’60s thing”. “We had the idea of having two melodies – one countering the other – and really fell in love with it, because it gave off Rolling Stones vibes,” he said.
Serving as an indicator for the full album, the single comes to terms with the cyclical rut of everyday injustices, as Bugg faces up to the bleak times that have persisted in the UK for far too long. Sonically, it’s a return to his gritty rock roots, far closer to ‘Shangri La’ (2013) than recent indie-pop escapade ‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’ (2021).
“There was definitely that excitement. I hadn’t really felt something like that since the first couple of records, really”, he revealed. “[This album] was more about going back to the influences I loved growing up, a lot of blues, rock and folk music.”
The Nottingham troubadour has also cited Green Day’s 2004 polemic masterpiece ‘American Idiot’ as a key influence, praising Billie Joe Armstrong’s ability to convey ordinary frustrations on grand scale.
Bugg spoke to NME about the road to his sixth album, playing to his strengths and how he hopes to impart some optimism into the doom and gloom.
NME: Hello Jake. Tell us why ‘A Modern Day Distraction’ is the perfect title to summarise your impending sixth album?
Bugg: “It’s a lyric from the song ‘Instant Satisfaction’. I hope that the album itself will be some sort of distraction for the people that listen to it. If anything, I tried to use my last couple of records as a distraction from a lot of these [frustrations] – I have shied away from such topics. But it’s been simmering. It just got to the point where so many people that I know, I was seeing how frustrating and tough their lives had become. I thought, if I could help in any way, [it’s] through the thing I know best – the only thing I really know how to do is play music.”
What’s your mission statement for the album as a whole?
“I suppose it was a social commentary on everything that’s been happening around us for the last few years, and the frustration that’s built up – I know a lot of people feel the same way, and I felt it needed to be addressed. That’s why we ended up making the kind of record that we did.
“I like to think that there [will be] no such need for such songs in the future, but, unfortunately, the world’s not such a simple place. If the record helps people in their own lives, in any way, then it’s already doing more than its purpose.”
‘All Kinds Of People’ feels particularly resonant in 2024, especially with the division and violence that’s plagued the UK over the past few weeks…
“There are things – whether it’s a photograph, painting or a musical piece – that really reflect the times of when they came, whether that be oppression or terrible things that have happened in history. There’s always some piece of art that is a significant point. It’s funny how those things just last forever. I’m not saying this record is anything like that, by the way. But all those things resonate with people, when it reflects how they feel.”
The album ends on a hopeful note with ‘Still Got Time.’ How important was it for you to turn frustration into optimism?
“In a bad situation, the only thing that we have is hope. I always believe that even the saddest song should have an element of hope, even a very small flicker – one note, one lyric. We have to stay positive and hope that we can come together to change the situation.”
In such bleak times, where do you get your hope from?
“Music. Especially when I was younger, it was the only form of escape that I had. It changed my life drastically, and for the better. I think it’s important to be passionate about the things that you love, because sometimes it felt like music was the only hope in the world that I had. It’s important to hold on to that.”
Why was now the right time to tap back into that fiery rock ‘n’ roll sound?
“It was important to experiment, because you’ll lose the passion if you continue doing the same thing. I know there were a lot of people that would have liked me to do the same thing [as] the first two albums. I’ve gone down some roads that probably weren’t the best direction for me, but they’ve allowed me to get back to this place where I feel like I’m playing to my strengths. It was important that I didn’t shy away from the guitar so much on this album, like maybe I have done in the past. I’m sure I’ll make some other albums that are very different from what people want – but that’s part of being an artist.”
Does channelling your love of Green Day count as one of these strengths?
“‘Waiting For The World’ gave me an excuse to put a bit of Green Day influence in there – I wanted something with that kind of energy in the chorus! ‘American Idiot’ is an absolutely brilliant album. For a band to have their biggest album, that many years [into their career], just shows what a great songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong is. To write an album that resonates with so many young people, a whole new generation, is just a reflection of how influential they are. I got to see them play ‘American Idiot’ in full, in Marlay Park in Dublin [this June]. I was like a 14-year-old boy all over again, going mad, doing shots and singing along.”
What is it about ‘American Idiot’ that speaks to you, personally? I know you’re a fan of their 2005 Milton Keynes concert film Bullet In A Bible...
“There’s obviously a nostalgic aspect. Listening to the record was one thing, but to see them – some of the songs were performed slightly differently. I think ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’ is strummed out on an electric guitar, it’s such a cool vibe. When they were interviewing fans before the gig, they totally understood what the group were writing and singing about. I found that very inspiring – you could see how much it resonates with people.”
It was Green Day’s seventh album, not their sixth – but could ‘A Modern Day Distraction’ turn out to be your ‘American Idiot?’
“I think it’d be incredibly difficult to get anywhere near the height of that album! I’m a bit apprehensive, but I think it’s my best album. We’ll see what everybody else thinks.”
Jake Bugg’s new album ‘A Modern Day Distraction’ is due out October 4. Check out his full list of UK tour dates below and visit here for tickets and more information.
NOVEMBER
18 – O2 Academy, Leeds
19 – Roundhouse, London
23 – Barrowlands, Glasgow
26 – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester